Lost Dreams
by hitokiri midori
Summary: KenxTomoe. I'm not good at summaries. A tranquil fic about a killer and a stray cat. (not lit.) please read and spare me the doom of writing summaries! xD
1. 00 Battousai

_____prologue [[battousai]]

            Another night passes, another life gone. The intoxicating stench of blood and lost dreams haunts my nightmares that span across many moons. Their last cries echo throughout my hollow soul. Their pleas, their begging, their fear… What keeps me awake while most my age have succombed to a dreamland is that one moment in their eyes when they realize all is lost. It ends there… there is no more questions. I am the reaper of death, and I show no mercy.

            That is why they call me Battousai.

            Once during one of my killings, there was a storm. As I charged, the clouds gave way, allowing one solitary stream of life light her face. It was my first time killing a woman. She didn't yell, she didn't scream, she closed her eyes and bathed in the light that showed mercy while my sword found her soul and pierced it into a million pieces. Her fallen body on the soaked ground had a pool of murky rainwater and dark blood around it. Her face so serene, the growing patch of blood on her chest shone in the light. As I removed my sword from her corpse, the light faded rapidly, as fast as the life left her. Once again, I played the role of the devil.

            "Devil!" The sound was so clear… "He's the devil! Pure evil!"

            Why can't I forget it? That one voice that rang so loudly in my mind despite its soft volume…

            "A devil, you say?" It wasn't accusing, it was angry, it was just… a voice. A thought. A musing… "Devils live amonst humans…" And then she left, leaving that _scent. It was so defined, the smell of white plums…_

            It haunted my dreams for many nights to come.

[A/n: I've reloaded all the chapters to fix some author's notes and grammatical/spelling errors. Let's see… Well, I've said for a while that this was A/U-ish, but it really isn't the case. It's set in about the same time, but I might of slipped and accidentally mentioned something like 'apartment'. Gomen.

As I said earlier, Aoshi, Zanza, and Kaoru won't be appearing, although I had planned their appearance at first. Enishi appears, so far at least, only in other's thoughts, memories, and speech.

Also, involving age. Tomoe is 18, and as I recently found out, Kenshin is not 18, but 15. (Thanks so much, Kisakino Ookami! =D) This fits in perfectly; I couldn't be happier about this new knowledge. Anyway… please go on and enjoy the plotless story! ^_^]


	2. 01 A beginning of the end

_____chapter one [[a beginning of the end]]

[a/n: This chapter will be _extremely fast paced, I need this chapter to set the stage, so to say.]_

[a/n2: This chapter was reloaded… if you read the previous version its sooo different. For example, I switched Aoshi's dialogue and total existence with an OC to avoid confusion, etc. etc… *sighs* Enishi's still in this chapter though, but his role is totally cameo. *shrugs* He's older than Tomoe though, so let me just get that out of the way.]

  
            "Really? No way!"

            "No, it's true! They say the symbol of evil appears in the dreams of those he defeated…"

            "He's that strong?"

            "Nothing compared to the Battousai."

            "Of course no one could defeat Battousai. He is the strongest."

            "He's almost like a god…"

            "No, not a god, he's like… the devil."

            The voices… I'm drowning in their voices… Stop, someone, make them-

            "Would you like some tea, sirs?" Wait, could it be…

            A small, red haired boy peeked through his arms, which he had buried himself in, and his eyes fell upon one of the new waitresses at the bar. The small red haired boy was me, sitting at a table with 11 of my "companions", or so they would say. I had no real choice in the matter of attending this gathering, but my superior, Katsura, urged me to. The past few minutes had been a blur, I had chosen to stay quiet as I always did while the other men drank to their heart's content.

I directed my attention to the new waitress once again. They had hired her a few days ago when they found her haunting the bar. "If she is homeless at least put her to good use," The manager had said, trying to hide the kindness in her voice.

            She had an elegant, soft-spoken grace, the white plum smell radiating all around her. Her dark hair was tucked in a ribbon, her pale kimono swaying as she walked, no, glided to the men.

            "Ah, yes, Tomoe." One of the younger said, as if familiar with her. Her eyes looked hollow and empty but she gave him a ghost of a smile before drifting off to pour the tea.

            I was entranced.  
  


            "Himura-san, you're mind isn't on the topic at hand." A voice next to me spoke.

            I looked towards the speaker, and nodded.

            "Apologies, Saikai-san. What has happened?" I spoke as politely as possible, but failed to mask the cold tone in my voice. The others, who had been laughing and drinking with cheer froze and immediately sat up straight, rapt with attention. The speaker, a man known as Saikai, one of the more elusive members of the Ishin Shishi, was amused. The other men held much respect for this young boy… it was quite amazing.

"Ahem…" He cleared his throat. "These are quite confusing times, and this meeting was not called for the purpose of downing several gallons of alcohol." He spoke, a hint of irritation in his voice, but an amused smile tugging at his lips.

            "Katsura's men have been arguing against the Shogunate for quite a while, many of the Shogunate are suspicious of Katsura's activities. Katsura and Miyabe have been debating for a long time, and recently, Miyabe has broken ties with Katsura. Anything could happen now."

            "Saikai-san, shouldn't you be discussing this with the politicians?" I asked, a hint of annoyance in my voice. "We are only the hitokiri, we have no real urge to discuss the dirty antics of politicians."

            He looked towards me, and he gave me a phantom smirk. "Believe me, Himura-san, the discussion will not remain on politicians very long. You are all aware of a man they call Yukishiro Enishi, correct?"

            "Is he the one who has ties with Takeda Kanryuu?" The man next to me asked.

           "Yes," Saikai nodded. "Kanryuu is quite infamous in the Underground for dealing illegal drugs, but with the aid of Yukishiro, who has been able to obtain a lot of weapons. Many of them are banned also. Should Yukishiro successfully manage to sell them on the black market, we have no idea who will buy them."

            "We have many enemies." I found myself saying.

            Saikai looked my way and nodded. "Many of the men are out obtaining information right now. " He explained.

            A few tables over, a man was looking towards them with slanted eyes and strained to hear what they were saying. Once he realized it, his eyebrows shot up, and he non-consciously began to reach for his katana.  
            "Is something wrong, love?" Tomoe asked gently, putting a cool slender hand on top of his.

            "No, no, everything's fine." Kiyosato gave her a bright smile that didn't reach his eyes. She seemed to relax, and recoiled to her original position. Kiyosato strained to hear what the men a few tables were saying while Tomoe poured him some green tea. She knew something was wrong, he wouldn't tell her. It wasn't her place to insist; she simply sighed softly and sipped her tea.

            "How is this going to go about?"

            "I suspect the Shinsengumi will have something to say about this?"

            "Of course, their high-and-mighty asses always have something to say…"

            "But this time, I'm expecting other forces as well."

            "Others?"

            "There are lots of political groups out there, but there are also independent rogues. If any of them get in the way… also, if any of them manage to lay hands on some of the things Yukishiro's got, everything we've been fighting for could be over…"

            _Yukishiro?! Kiyosato's eyes widened, hearing the name. _What could they want with Enishi?_ Worried, Kiyosato tried to muster a confident face and turned to Tomoe._

            "Koiishi, I'm going to… go for a walk. I'll be back soon." Tomoe nodded, giving him a small smile and he returned one. Tomoe noticed he had picked up his katana.

            "Himura." The man next to me muttered under his breath. I looked towards Iizuka.

            "What?" I half asked, half spoke, not really caring what it was.

            "We have a rat." Iizuka growled softly, and nudged his head towards the direction of Kiyosato, who was hurrying as fast as he could to the door without seeming suspicious. Iizuka saw through it right away. "We like to dispose of trash as fast as we can in the Ishin Shishi."

            I nodded, standing up and picking up my katana and wakizashi. "I'll take care of him." I spoke in a dangerously soft tone, my eyes glowing the feral amber the populace had grown to fear and admire.

            Saikai eyed me disappearing after Kiyosato warily, and looked towards Iizuka. "I take it he has some duties?" He raised an eyebrow. Iizuka sighed.

            "He's only been doing this for a year and he's already completely mastered this."

            "Mastering the art of killing isn't exactly a thing you boast about at parties." Saikai noted, quietly sipping his tea.

[[3rd person now]]

            "Tomoe-chan!" Tomoe turned to look at her manager. Tomoe's mature expressions didn't match her still young face, and everyone knew this. But they all knew of her kind heart also.

            The manager gave her a smile. "We'd all like to congratulate you on your engagement, Tomoe-chan. Kiyosato-san truly deserves a treasure like you."

            Unable to supress it, Tomoe returned a wide beam. "Arigato gozaimasu."

            "So polite…" The manager laughed quietly. "You truly love him, don't you?"

            Tomoe looked at her feet, blushing a little. "Yes… yes, I do."

            The manager chuckled once again before turning around and reaching out the window. She snapped a bright red flower off the branch, and handed it to Tomoe.

            "I'll let you off early tonight. Why don't you go give it to Kiyosato-san?"

            Tomoe held the flower in her hands earnestly. "Ah! Domo arigato gozaimasu!" She exclaimed, bowing lavishly before excusing herself.

            _Akira-san must be near, he was only taking a walk… She told herself while trotting down the street with a smile on her face._

            The warm feeling in her chest began to fade away slowly. She had been walking for a long time, and it was late at night. Normally Kiyosato would escort her home on nights she worked, she didn't worry about any of the people around here. She noticed strange men in alleys eying her hungrily, heard screams and shouts, saw glints of a katana in the moonlight. She was now beginning to get worried.

            "Where am I?" She wondered quietly to herself.

            "Stop!" She heard a voice bellow. Curiosity getting the better of her, she jogged down the alley to see a young man standing there, holding a katana in his hand.

            "Let me through!" Another voice, a familiar one. A smile crossing her face, Tomoe turned to the one who spoke.

            "Akira-san!" She called joyfully, but to her surprise, her fiance's eyes widened in fear.

            "Tomoe! Leave, now!" He tried to call out, but was interrupted by the Battousai.

            "I don't allow any witnesses…" He whispered quietly, and took a stance.

            "TOMOE!" Akira called out, panic filling his voice.

            _What's going on? I don't understand… Tomoe's mind didn't comprehend what was going on yet. Who was this man with red hair? Why was he charging at her?_

            "NO!!!" Akira bellowed, running as fast as his legs could bring him to defend his beloved. Throwing himself in front of Tomoe at the last moment, Battousai's battoujutsu ripped him apart in front of Tomoe's eyes. In his anguish, he had managed to put a scratch on Battousai's cheek, which was now bleeding profusely.

            "Akira! Akira!" Tomoe cried, leaning over the body of her fiance, which was now shrouded with a dark veil of death, pools of his own blood around him.

            "To… mo… e…" He managed to cough out, and reached for the red flower Tomoe had dropped.

            _Closer… every bit I'm closer… His hand just lightly brushed against the flower before Battousai threw his katana into his chest._

            "The dead should die quickly." He muttered, pulling it out.

            Tomoe glared up at the man who had just killed her beloved fiance with eyes that only deserved to look upon a monster. And a monster he was. He was the devil.

            Battousai looked down at the woman, and his eyes jerked wide open. She was…

            "You… waitress…" He mumbled incoherently, his mind in chaos. It was her! She was the waitress he saw at the bar!

"Who… was he to you?" He stammered out hoarsely, uncomfortably looking away from her glare.

            "He was…" The look of pure rage crossed her face, "… he was my fiance!" She cried out, looking up at the hazy sky.

            Battousai's eyes widened, looking at the young woman. Her fiance?

            Tomoe held her head at the sky, a single, solitary tear dripping down her cheek. "You… you made it rain blood... you made the night rain blood…" She murmered hoarsely before fainting on top of Kiyosato's body.

            Battousai stared down at the girl. _I made the night rain blood?_ He wondered. Above him, there was a loud thunder clash. Pools of rain fell down upon the killer, the deceased man, and the young woman whose heart had just been destroyed. Battousai walked up to a growing puddle of rainwater, which grew dark mixed with Kiyosato's blood. The cut Kiyosato had managed to make in his fury was dripping with blood. A strike of lightening hit behind him just as a surprised expression crossed his face. His eyes grew wide, horrified.

            _I look like… a monster…_

            Battousai sheathed his sword, which was wiped clean of the blood with the rainwater, but his soul wasn't. His soul was constantly bleeding with the blood of those whose lives he took. He looked remorsefully at the young couple, Kiyosato who was dead and Tomoe who had fainted from grief. Unsure of what to do, he lifted Tomoe up onto his shoulder. Surprised at how light she was, he also begrudgingly picked up the corpse of Kiyosato, and carried the two to his relative "home".

            As morning slowly drifted over the small house. A thin stream of light landed on Tomoe's face, waking her. She stirred, alert. Where was she? What had happened last night-

            Upon remembering the events last night, she wanted to bury herself and scream. But, no, she shouldn't, couldn't, wouldn't. But the memory was hard to forget, it was vivid and still fresh in her mind. Every detail of it was etched into her heart, Akira's scream, how he tried to reach for the flower she was going to give him, and how Battousai threw his katana into his heart…

            Battousai…

            Her face was normally pale face got even paler when she remembered the man that killed her fiance. She felt a deadly rage rise in her bosom, but she silenced the thought.

            _I will… somehow… avenge Akira… She decided shakily. She stood up, and nearly fell down. Leaning against a wall, she took a deep breath and pressed her forehead against the cool walls. Her head was throbbing; perhaps Akira had tempted her to far too much alcohol last night…_

            "No!" She shouted spontaneously, clenching her fists. _Akira… he's dead… if I think about him anymore… no… it isn't his fault! It's… It's Battousai's!_ Her eyes narrowed with pure hatred.

            "Battousai… You stole my happiness…" She murmered before she was overcome with a throbbing pain and fell onto the ground with a thud again.

            He drew his katana from his sheath will stealth perfected over several years, and slowly raised it. He pushed it closer and closer to her slender, ivory neck, about to take her life away…

            "No!" He cried, shaking awake. Shaking his head, he stood up, staring at the dirt, mud, and blood crusted on his hands. _What was I… dreaming about?_ He found he couldn't remember what the alarming dream was.

            He looked towards his katana and wakizashi. They were his gift, his curse, his destiny, his demise.

            _Last night… His eyes widened upon recollection on what had happened. He had killed that man Iizuka said had overheard their conversation… but that woman… where was that woman?!_

            Alarmed, Battousai sped down the halls of his small house, provided by Katsura, opening door after door, finding nothing but air. Finally, he reached the last door. He found himself pausing in front of it.

            _What if she's not there? What if…_

            "Why am I scared?" He whispered quietly. He slowly opened the last door, swallowing his breath. He let it out when he saw her, but took another breath of alarm when he saw what position she was in. The futon was on the opposite side of the room, she had either rolled over or fallen. It looked like she had hit her head against something, a thin trickle of blood was coming from her head. She was sprawled out across the floor on her side. The ribbon she used to tie her hair had fallen out, and it cascaded down the side of her face and brushed against the floor.

            The legendary manslayer Battousai found that he could not move in the presence of this mysterious woman; he couldn't move at all.

[a/n: An editted chapter we have here…I replaced Aoshi with Saikai, the very minor cameo-appearing OC of mine. Foo, like I care, I originally used Aoshi, so imagine Saikai as a sadistic Aoshi, 'kay? I'm trying to limit the characters here, so he may pop around again. As for the chapter… I like it. ^o^ S'ok, de gozaru yo. Leave me a review, onegai? No flames please! *sniff* If you have criticism, I'll take it but please don't scream and rant needlessly. Much thanks.]


	3. 01dot5 Afterwards

___chapter one point five [[afterwards…]]

            That dark, rainy night, Battousai trudged down the alleys with a restless feeling. He had never felt this before… it startled him. When he reached his house, he set Tomoe down in the very last room at the end of the hall. It was the only room he never entered, he never bothered too.

            _She deserves to be in a room that hasn't been tainted by a killer… He thought as he laid her down on the futon with more gentleness than he had been meaning to use. Still carrying the corpse of her fiance over his shoulder, a grave, bitter expression crossed his face as he turned and shut the door._

            Walking outside, the cold wind after a storm whipped his face. The soil was still damp, wet from the rain. He walked over to the edge of the yard, and bent over, putting Kiyosato's corpse down. He let his slender fingers feel the cool earth, and scooped up a handful of dirt. He repeated his action many times, pawing through the dirt, slowly making a hole big enough to bury Kiyosato in.

            Looking at the corpse, Battousai's feeling of restlessness only increased. He never buried his victims, Iizuka told him to leave it for the people to find. But him…

            _Is it because… he's her fiance? He wondered, before shutting his eyelids and putting the dirt on top of him. __He was someone to her… he had a bit of her heart… He mused while patting the dirt on top of his body. Looking around his unkept yard, he easily found two sticks from a tree that had been struck by lightening. Tying them together in a cross, he bound it together and stuck it into the mound of dirt._

            Standing up, dusting himself off, he eyed the grave warily. Looking to the east, where the sky had already grown red with hues of the rising sun, he bowed at the foot of the mound and returned to his room without bothering to shower the blood and dirt from his body.

            And he dreamed he killed that woman.

            "Himura. You're actually late." The amused voice of Iizuka echoed throughout the empty room. I turned to him, ready to meet his teasing face with my infamous death glare, but instead I was met with a surprised face.

            "You had a hard time?" He mused, nodding towards my cut.

            "He was nothing." I muttered, the glare that woman gave me still engraved in my mind.

            "Uh huh." Iizuka nodded, obviously not believing me. "Well, since you slept in so much, you missed the whole meeting. Katsura has something important to talk to you about. He wants you to meet him. Since you weren't here, he assumed you were at home, so he's going over there now."

            "What?!" I exclaimed.

            "That's three firsts today!" Iizuka mused. "Himura is late, Himura is injured, and Himura is surprised! What an interesting day…" He stopped talking when he realized I had already stomped out.

            _Why they fuck would Katsura go to my house?! I fumed, before realizing exactly what I was fuming about. __What am I afraid is going to happen? He's going to meet that woman and she'll tell him what a horrible person I am?! I stopped walking in the midst of a busy street, standing there, staring at my feet for a couple seconds._

            Looking up again, I let my surroundings soak into me. The people, laughing, crying, talking, enjoying each other's company. So many people, so many hearts, all capable of love.

            "Why do I…" _Why do I feel so lonely?_ I wondered, another wave of restlessness washing over me as I looked up at the cloudy sky.

            "Ah, Himura-san, you're here." Katsura said in a voice that sounded more relieved than angry. "Tomoe-san told me that you had left, and I thought I had just missed you." 

            "Iizuka told me you came here." I murmered, removing my sandals and sitting opposite to him at a table. "Tomoe?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

            "Yes, Tomoe. She's your woman, isn't she?" I nearly exploded. Katsura had an asked a perfectly innocent question, but I was enraged. I… I killed her fiance! How could he think that she was my woman?! After all, it was just courtesy, burying her fiance and taking her somewhere, I couldn't just leave her in the alley-

            "Himura?" Katsura brought me back to reality. "You look dazed."

            "Tired." I mumbled. "What brings you here, Katsura-san?"

            "I have to talk to you about something."

            "So I know." _Get to the point already!_ I mentally slapped myself. What was going on with me?! First these strange emotions washing upon me, now the impatience, how easily I am being disturbed…

            "Would you like some tea?" Her voice. I whipped my head around to find myself staring straight into her face. I waited briefly, expecting her to slap me, yell at me, threaten me, but she did nothing. Her face was such a void of emotion…

            "Well, you should at least answer her, Himura-san." Katsura noted from behind me.

            "Ah… um, no, it's alright…" I said quietly, in almost a whisper. I bowed my head down, so she couldn't see my face. She didn't react to it at all.

            "And Katsura-san?"

            "No thank you, Tomoe-san." He responded courteously, and she bowed and left.

            "Tomoe-san was here when I came," Katsura said. "She was walking around the house, as if she wasn't familiar with it. She seems to know the kitchen pretty well. Is she from a brothel?" He mused.

            "No!" I spat out indignantly.

            "Oh?" Katsura arched his eyebrows.

            "Please, Katsura-san, the point?!" I said in an exasperated voice. Katsura chuckled.

            "You don't seem quite yourself this morning, Himura-san." After laughing, he put his hands on the table and a serious expression crossed his face. "You attended the meeting with Saikai-san as I requested, correct?"

            "Why would you send all your hitokiri to a meeting about politics? I haven't even seen him around; I question his reliability…" I asked coldly.

            "I trust him. Saikai used to be independent, but he recently decided to join us. He contacted me, informing me about Yukishiro. I was impressed, I was currently also harboring suspicions to Yukishiro. All the information he provided me appeared to be true." He began.

            "I followed that."

            "Yes, well, there's more. Takeda Kanryuu, who's been an underground drug dealer for a long time, has always had ties with Yukishiro. They seemed to be growing in the past few weeks. While Yukishiro is skilled with things such as martial arts and using the weapons he had managed to procure, there is no way he can use them effectively without the help of Kanryuu. No matter how much trash as a person, Kanyuu is pure gold when it comes to an entrepreneur. Meanwhile, more and more groups are turning against the Ishin Shinshi. We also hold a big part in the ruling of how the war will turn out. Anybody who gets their hands on those weapons Yukishiro has. We are just a big target. No matter how skilled you are all with the sword, if we are faced with a dozen cannons or a group armed with Gatling guns, our survival chances are pretty slim. Nearly all of the populace are beginning to turn against us." Katsura said bitterly.

            I raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a job for me then?"

            "Actually… Takasugi had an interesting proposal. He asked that I pass it on to you, he isn't in the condition to travel too far from his home." Katsura slid a piece of paper across the table. "It's all here. There's another meeting tonight... just the usual procedures." He stood up, dusted himself off, and turned. "Tell Tomoe-san goodbye for me." He hid a smirk as he exited.

            I eyed the piece of folded up paper. Slowly, I opened the crinkled page and began to read it's content.

            "WHAT?!?!"

[a/n: This is a half chapter (thus the point five). I don't know why I made it a "point five", it could've been a whole chapter, I guess, except that it's pretty short, choppy, and has no real literary greatness. (but then again none of the chapters do… -_-") Well… chapter two's coming soon.]


	4. 02 Haunting

___chapter two [[haunting]]

_Your lost words whisper slowly to me_

_Still can't find what keeps me here_

_But all this time I've felt so hollow inside_

_I know your still there…_

_Watching me, wanting me_

_I can feel you hold me down_

_Fearing you, loving you_

_I won't let you hold me down_

_Haunting you, I can smell you, alive_

_Your heart pounding in my head_

_Watching me, wanting me_

_I can feel you hold me down_

_Seeing me, raping me_

_Watching me_

_Watching me, wanting me_

_I can feel you hold me down_

_Fearing you, loving you_

_I won't let you hold me down._

            "You're sure about this, Takasugi?" Katsura asked, his voice unsure.

            Takasugi took a moment to cough before answering, "Trust me. It'll work."

            "Why would you do that to Himura?"

            Takasugi raised his face level to Katsura. "Don't talk about it as if this were his punishment."

            "To Himura, his job is already a punishment. This would make things worse."

            "It'll knock two birds down with one stone!" Takasugi insisted. "Listen… Himura is strong… really strong. But he's also got a heart."

            "It's odd hearing this from you." Katsura muttered as the corners of his lips tugged into a smile.

            "I've got Uno. That's what saves me." Takasugi grinned. "Without her, I'm a naked blade."

            "So she's your sheath."

            "Yep." Takasugi took in a deep breath, but broke into coughs. Falling to the ground, he looked up at the ceiling. "Iizuka already asked me about her, he saw Himura carrying her home. Uno knew her, actually, so I know a little bit about the woman. Her name is Yukishiro…"

            "Yukishiro?!" Katsura looked up, surprised. "Same as Yukishiro Enishi?!"

            "He's her brother. He trusts her more than anybody."

            "This is hard to believe…" Katsura looked at the ground. "She only told me her name was Tomoe…"

            "That's her full name." Takasugi waved it off. "Listen though. Uno told me that Tomoe is tight with her brother. He's more protective of her than her own parents. The reason his base is set up in Kyoto and not Edo, his home, is to make sure he can keep an eye on her. She won't divulge his secrets so easily."

            "What are you planning…?" Katsura eyed him warily. "What exactly did your note say?"

            "A few things. And tips." Takasugi smirked.

            "Takasugi…" Katsura warned.

            "Haha… so uptight. Did being an important politician do that to you?" Takasugi teased. "Either way… I wonder if Himura will follow the commands. If everything goes right, Himura's sanity will be restored AND we will have inside information about Yukishiro… including where he stashes these weapons of his."

            "His sanity…? You never mentioned anything about that."

            "I said it earlier, Himura has a heart. People like you, Katsura, politicians, used to have that same spirit when you held the sword. But Himura's heart has kindness, and it's being ripped apart by his role as a killer. You think his sanity will hold much longer? Day after day he's being destroyed by himself… I warned you when you took him to Kyoto. Making him a hitokiri will destroy the boy."

            Battousai reread the paper, and gulped. _How am I… supposed to do that?!_ He wanted to disappear, or better yet, evaporate so he wouldn't have to appear anywhere else.

            "Katsura-san left?" A soft voice next to him spoke. Nearly falling over in surprise, Battousai stared up at Tomoe. "I made some food…" She murmered.

            "Ah, um… yes…" He stammered. _This is insane! How did she sneak up on me?!_

            "Is your name Battousai?" Tomoe asked suddenly, looking at him with her icy, lifeless eyes.

            "They… call me that… and you're Tomoe right?"

            Tomoe looked as if she had something to say but shrugged it off. Without another word, she turned and walked off.

            The paper still in his hand, Battousai lowered himself onto the floor. _She won't even talk to me. Then again, I DID take her here without any consent… I wonder why she didn't ask about it yet. Sighing, he crumpled up the sheet of paper and absentmindedly tossed it into a wastebasket. It went in perfectly._

"That's some twisted plan you've got, Katsura-san." Iizuka laughed, tilting his hat over his eyes. He was meeting Katsura in a restaurant for lunch, where Katsura told him of Takasugi's plan. "You really want to mess with him like that?"

            "As much as I hate to admit it… Himura's so easy to manipulate." Katsura sighed heavily, leaning back. "I don't want anything to happen to him though. Besides him being the strongest Imperialist, I also promised Takasugi I'd take care of him. But Takasugi was the one who suggested the plan…"

            Iizuka shrugged, casually tilting back in his chair. "Maybe love will heal his scars."

            Katsura sighed, looking down at his drinking dish. "Perhaps they will only deepen them."

            Night fell upon Kenshin's house swiftly; before long the sky was a blanket of darkness with prickles of stars flooding the sky. The waning moon hung in it's place in the heavens, the crescent illuminating the unkept yard.

            The house was different, and Kenshin realized this as soon as he returned home from his usual meeting with Katsura and the others. It wasn't too late, an hour before it was technically considered the "next day".

            It smelled… different. He walked in, slipping off his shoes, tired as hell. He was ready to slip into his light sleep until he was to rise in the morning, but the smell was so stunning it almost knocked him off his feet. It smelled… good.

            Aromatic smells of flowers and white plums filled the air, and the smell of real, actual good food floated around him enticingly. The house no longer smelled damp and unclean, but rather… fresh and airy.

            Well, this was quite a change.

            He walked through the houses until he saw Tomoe. She was sitting, drinking some tea. She turned her head lightly and acknowledged his presence. As he came in, about to sit down, she promptly stood up and left the room.

            Ouch, that hurt.

              
            Kenshin was pretty pissed.

            For one, Iizuka made it a point to tease him every time the speaker took a breath about Tomoe and how much "fun" he had last night, and he kept pouring some alcohol into his drinking dish. How he wanted to punch him straight in that filthy mouth… But Battousai doesn't loose his anger, now does he? After he had drank more than enough, his eyes had flashed the feral amber before he stood up and just left. By now, all of his fellow Shishis knew better than to follow him.

            He seriously didn't know what to do about Tomoe. He never told her to stay, in fact, he expected her to have already left. But no, she was always there, cooking or cleaning or doing something related. He swore he saw her writing in a diary a few times. The house, which he had never bothered to clean or take care of, improved considerably, and the stench of blood and grime was replaced by white plums.

            Why wasn't she going? Why wasn't she afraid of him? Why didn't she say _anything to him? No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see what she was thinking at all. This wasn't like a kenki, for she obviously didn't know kenjutsu, but her personality… It made him so exasperated, but at the same time, he ached to learn more about this enigmatic woman._

            She should run away. She should hate him. She should want to kill him, and then he'd die, like he always deserved to.

            No, wait, don't go…

            It was late at night now, very, very late. The moon had already risen high in the sky, the ambient sounds of night engulfing Kenshin. While the "tranquility" of his light sleep should've taken him already, he found, much to his annoyance, that he couldn't sleep even a wink.

            It was her fault.

            Whenever he closed his eyes, he could feel her icy glare on him, and he wanted to disappear. He could see her face, the anguish and sadness, and the coldness she gave him. The pain and sorrow she held in her heart for her fiance's death was _his fault; he was the one who was killing her on the inside. Her tormented soul was haunting him, even in his sleep._

Didn't he always play the role of the devil?

[a/n: *sighs* I've been making Tomoe seem really mean lately. ;__; She'll warm up in the end, I promise! xD;; Battousai is funny… *sniggers* I know he's supposed to be serious and all, but I'm imagining him doing these things and it cracks me up! Tomoe's gonna make him go insane, heeheee… ^_^ And just to let you all know, I mean no harm to any of these characters… I'm not gonna make them suffer or anything like that. o__O;; I was flamed for another fic because I did that. Harumph. ^o^ Anyways… the song in the beginning is Haunted, and I think it's by Evanescence. ^_^ I love their band name! =D Anyways… the "plan" Katsura, Takasugi, and Iizuka were talking about will be revealed soon. It's funny! Kinda… in a… moronic way. x__x oh well, whatever, eh? Sooo… nothing more to say? Midori signing out!]


	5. 02dot5 Pensive

___chapter two point five [[pensive]]

            She took a breath, trying to relax and steady herself, but to no avail. Her breath was still shaky, and she was sure that her voice would come out in sobs if she tried to speak. But who would she speak to? There was no one here.

            Except him.

            Tomoe wondered why she hadn't left yet. Her brother probably already had all of Japan on a search party for her, and yet she stayed. She stayed in the house tainted with the pain and anguish of the young shadow assassin, Himura Battousai.

            She had heard his name many times before, her brother being part of underground organization. Just the other day, a co-worker was gossiping to her about him. She held no fancy for the silly rumors of frivolous women, but she found this legendary Hitokiri interesting.

            "He's the strongest Imperialist ever," Enishi had told her absentmindedly. "None of his victims have been left alive. He says he delivers 'tenchuu', some heaven's justice crap." He had laughed, sinking back into his seat. "He doesn't allow any witnesses, and he says what he's doing will save Japan."

            "All he's doing is killing." Tomoe had muttered quietly, before Enishi tilted her chin up and looked her in the face.

            "We all kill now. It's the Revolution. You know what that means? It's time for Japan to become a new country, built upon the bodies of the dead."

            "A country… built upon the bodies of the dead…" She whispered softly. The words were cruel, and yet she spoke them with such gentleness it was as if she were talking about little children going out to play on new fallen snow.

            Fixing her hair, she looked outside. The sun had just started rise, and night was fading. She always rose early, she liked the peacefulness before the busy day begun. Stepping outside, some night air whipped her hair playfully. Sighing softly, she leaned against the wall lightly.

            How exhausted she was. She felt so drained of her energy, even though she hadn't done anything strenuous in the past few days. Her eyes were dry, drained of all their tears. As she leaned against the wall, she wondered what would've happened if Kiyosato had never been confronted by Battousai. They'd probably be at home, just rising from a peaceful night of slumber. Their wedding ceremony would be very soon; flowers and euphoria would be everywhere. Her brother would come and bless them well, and they'd get to live happy lives together…

            But she was still here.

            Thinking of how things could've been hurt her more than his death, perhaps. Death was final, might-have-beens always hold doubt. Perhaps there was another way. Maybe this could've been different. All of these questions made her head spin, and she felt like sitting down. Instead, she walked back into the house, leaving the door open to let some fresh morning air in.

            She puzzled herself. She wanted to return to her brother and cry all her tears, anger, and sadness with him, but she couldn't leave. Whenever Battousai left, Tomoe would pick up what scant things she had on her at the time and almost leave the house. She found that she always returned, no matter how hard she tried to leave. She was drawn to this place. It wasn't appealing in any way whatsoever. The walls were peeling, the house stunk, and the appliances haven't been used for a very long time.

            Why did she even bother to take care of the house for this murderer? It's not like she was his woman. In fact, he had killed her fiancé. He hadn't spoken a word to her, but then again, she never said anything either.

            She wanted to leave so desperately, but at the same time, she wanted to stay. She had questions that she knew would go unanswered, and the restless feeling in her bosom grew. A strange curiosity had begun to develop in her.

            "I want to know… more about him." She decided finally, before nearly making a face. Him! Him, of all people! He would probably kill her next; maybe he brings all of his victims home for a week or two before slaughtering them…

            How confusing.

            Walking throughout the house, she stopped at the room she knew Battousai was sleeping in. Curiosity getting the better of her, she slowly opened the door, expecting a death glare from him. The reaction she received… wasn't quite what she expected.

            He was sprawled across the floor, futon untouched. He held his sword close to him, but was laid out in such a position that she knew would hurt when he woke up. The hand that wasn't clutching on to the sword as if the world would end was still moving, as if he were reaching for something he couldn't get to. The look on his face of anguish and determination startled her; it was hard to believe he was sleep. It looked as if he were having a nightmare, tossing and turning… reaching and reaching for something he couldn't get to.

            Her previous feelings of restlessness and remorse faded away as she walked up to him. She peered into his face, contorted with torment. "He's still a child..." She mused, looking at his soft, young features. Her eyes fell to his sword. "How could they make a child kill?" She sighed, and put her slender cool hand on his.

            He stopped struggling.

[a/n: Another half chapter! ^o^ I mentioned that I made Tomoe a little too cold and mean in the previous chapters… well, I really like her, so I tried to make her seem a little better. She's not that cold, she's just not as open or loud as people like Kaoru and Misao! It's easy to like them, they're so lively and cheerful, but Tomoe… you gotta dig deep, ya know? Sheesh, it sounds like I actually know her in real life… -__-" But anyways… gotta go! =D And I'm so happy, this fic is turning out exactly like I planned. Hope it stays that way. Love, Midori!]


	6. 03 Release

___chapter three [[release]]

[A/n: *dances* another update! =D Sorry, I'm not one of those people who update their fics every day… =__=" In fact, my main hobby is webdesigning. O__o;; Sooo… but anyway, I love this fic, and I thank my first few (I think it is at seven right now) reviewers very much for their comments. ^__^ I think one of the reviews was in French, but from what I can decipher with my very, very, very miniscule amount of French vocabulary (I believe it spans over three words: bonjour, oui, and frommage), I think you liked it. *nods* So muchos gracias to you all! ^__^ Domo Arigato! Xie xie! Danke, danke! Merci! *rants "thank you" in many other languages*

How's this story going to come along? I love the freedom of the plotlessness. I could really end it anywhere. But I have some plans in the future. Okay, not really, but I have some scenes in my head I'd really like to play out. I'll see how it goes.]

            Drowning.

            Cannot breathe.

            Water.

            Flooding me.

            Filling me.

            Pouring into the lungs, filling my body…

            Not water anymore.

            No more clear, translucent blue… it is a dark, murky red.

            I smell blood.

            I smell Battousai.

            I am Battousai. The one who slays. Who delivers tenchuu. The one who will set aside his sanity in order to great a greater country. A greater country, built upon the souls of those who died in the Revolution. Their bodies and minds will be the foundation of a great, new era where social classes no longer matter.

            Isn't that right?

            Tomoe?

            No more blood. Blood is gone.

            No more water.

            Dry land. Fresh air. Cool breezes. Blue skies. Pastel sunlight, streaming on her face. Hakubaikou… I inhale the smell of white plums instead of the decaying stench of blood.

            Peace.

            I am at peace.

            For how long?

            "Himura! Himura, I say, open up already!" Stirring, Himura Kenshin, aka Battousai, shook himself from his foggy dreams. What _was_ he dreaming about again? I couldn't remember… drat.

            His hair was slightly in disarray from crawling around the room all night. He remembered the restlessness he felt, trapped between the consciousness and slumber. Then he remembered… he calmed down. There was something that smelled good. It was a sweet smell, but not intoxicatingly so, more like the natural sugar from strawberries and… plums. That was it. White plums. Whipping around him like a blanket of cool breeze blowing his long hair back. It felt nice. He didn't want to wake up, but forced himself too. This was one of the rare times when his nightmares had obviously gotten the better of him; the room was in a bit of disarray. He looked down at himself. He hadn't bothered to change into a sleeping yukata, so he was still donned in his gi and hakama. But, at his side, there was a blue obi. He touched the fabric gently, almost apprehensively, and held it tightly suddenly. He clutched into a little ball, like an insecure child without his security blanket. Holding it tight, he rocked back and forth, whispering, "I am not a murderer I am not a murderer I am not a murderer" until his voice cracked and tears started to flow down his cheeks. Squeezing his eyes shut, he continued chanting, "I don't kill I'm not evil I'm not a monster I'm not…"

            "Himura…" A soft voice startled him. He looked up from the middle of his sanity break and found himself looking into the eyes of Tomoe. She looked at his fetal position, clutching her obi close to him and crying. Her expression softened lightly, or perhaps it was just his imagination. This could all be his imagination, after all, for those who were insane experienced hallucinations very often-

            She reached down, and stroked his hair lightly, coaxing him out of his little ball of security. Gently, she tugged the obi out of his death grasp and laid it down behind her. He was sobbing silently now, and she pulled him close in a hug. She heard the words he said, "I am not a killer I am not cruel I am not the devil I am not a monster I am not…" His breathing was eratic. She was disturbed but tried to calm herself down for his sake.

            "It's alright," She cooed softly. "Nobody thinks you are a monster…"

            "You do," He managed to mumble. Although the tears had stopped, his cheeks were still stained. "You think I'm a monster who makes it rain blood…"

           Guilt flashed through Tomoe. She momentarily forgot that she was comforting the assassin who killed her love, her fiancé, and pulled him close again. "You say you kill… to bring peace. Peace will come, soon, some day… There will be a time where you can be who you are with no one telling you 'no'. There will be a time when young samurai can train and become strong, where young men can make friends with wise wanderers, where young women can fall in love, with no boundaries, nothing separating them… an era of peace. That's what you're fighting for, aren't you? You kill to bring forth peace."

            "What I'm doing… is wrong…" He whispered, burying his wet face into her shoulder.

            Tomoe hesitated. Still kneeling, the position was uncomfortable, but she knew she should help this poor boy. He was having a mental breakdown. "It is…" She admitted, "But… you had ideals in the beginning, didn't you? They all did, and that's what got them started… some other things interfered, like greed and desire and lust for power and money… but you don't have those things, don't you?" She gave him what looked like a ghost of a smile, or at least, an attempt at a somewhat friendly face.

            He paused. "In the beginning…" He began slowly, "I had dreams. I had ideals. I wanted to save the people from suffering… I left my master, when to Kyoto, became a murderer…"

            Tomoe looked at him sternly but kindly. "Where do you think you went wrong?"

           "Murderer… one who kills. My sword… I can save people without… killing…" Kenshin hiccupped, and then fell back down, sleeping. Tomoe looked at him with a suspicious eye, before standing up and closing the shoji door behind him.

            "Katsura-san. What did you give him last night to drink?" She asked harshly.

            Katsura was leaning against a wall, his eyes closed, as if absorbing in some thought.

            "We gave him more alcohol than he could hold. He doesn't get drunk; he gets delusional."

            "Why?"

            "Not for you to know." Katsura half-heartedly bowed, and exited. Tomoe eyed his retreating back warily before going to the kitchen.

            "So?" Iizuka raised an eyebrow. "Did Himura succumb to the strong stuff?"

            Katsura nodded. "He didn't feel the effects of the alcohol till morning, although I could tell he had a rough night of sleep. It's working; she took the bait too. While Himura was in his delusional 6-year-old childlike state, she comforted him just like a mother."

            "Great." Iizuka said this without any real enthusiasm. The two men stood in silence for a while.

            "Do you think-" They started at the same time, before Iizuka stopped and allowed his superior to speak.

            "-I… I feel terrible we're doing this to Himura. If any more of this continues, he'll go insane." Katsura admitted.

            "Remember, Katsura-san, if it's successful, Himura will be happy, which he hasn't been since he was a child. He was a child, then an orphan, then a slave, and then a student to the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, the strongest killing kenjutsu technique there is… Now he's a teenage shadow assassin, slaying some of the most important Pro-Bakufu politicians in Kyoto. How can he be happy?"

            "Takasugi's plan to make Tomoe protect Himura like a sheath is rather absurd." Katsura muttered. "Tomoe's eyes are cold, but she may be capable of a little love. But Himura needs more love than she can give."

            "Himura's going to break soon, with this assassin job." Iizuka said darkly. "Tomoe can help him heal. I've seen her; the way she speaks, the way she does everything… and she's got her fair share of problems herself. If I realized that she was going to be the Sheath, I wouldn't have sent Himura to kill the rat who heard our conversation."

            "Yes, that was a mistake…" Katsura said, his mind thoughtful. "If only…" He sighed. "If we can just get Tomoe to love Himura, I'm sure he'll be alright for a while. Love can heal scars…"

            "… Or deepen them." Iizuka finished off Katsura's saying for him. "All I can say is… if Himura's hurt any more… he's going to go mad."

            Tomoe sighed, distressed. She was wiping the floor around the kitchen, which was covered with grime and dirt. Her hair was pulled back by a white cloth and she had scavenged an apron of sorts. She moved swiftly but gracefully, wiping it clean. Her thoughts were not on the floor, however, it was on him.

            Katsura had just dropped by suddenly, and it made her suspicious. He did nothing except pound on the door a few times to wake him up, and then leaned against the wall, calm as ever. She had walked in that night to see him struggling and writhing, as if having a terrible nightmare, and she had tried to comfort him. But in the morning, it was even worse. He was delusional. His knees were pulled up to his chest, his strong arms gripping himself so tightly it left marks. His sword was near him, but tears had been streaming down his face.

            She had never expected him to be like this.

            _To be like what, she wondered. __To have feelings? Was that it? He had seemed so emotionless that night when he killed Akira. But then again, she was one to speak… Akira had been her friend since childhood, and they had always gotten along well. He was always the one to laugh and crack a joke in front of their close friends, and she was always sitting at the side, lightly smiling, but never opening up. It might have intimidated some people, and maybe that was why Akira's friends stopped coming by often._

            She sighed. Even though his friends didn't see him because of her, Akira never left her side. She was filled with euphoria when her engagement was announced, but the most she could do was bow politely to his parents. She caught a look in his eye that looked like he was disappointed. Was he disappointed in her, or her reaction?

            She shook herself out of her daydreams. _Back to Battousai…_ She reminded herself. _That's my problem._ How was he her problem? _She_ was her own problem. Her maternal instincts kicked in when he was crying like a small child, whispering things about evil and killing... "I am not a monster", she heard him repeat over and over again, desperately trying to grasp some truth in this statement.

            Her thoughts drifted back to Katsura, who had been silently observing against the wall of the hall the whole time. He had something to do with this; she was sure of it. He smelled of alcohol when she had been close to him, so maybe he had too much to drink...?

            Somehow, she knew that unlike the days she drank recklessly, he wouldn't just drown his sorrows in alcohol. It was something else… maybe that night, someone had tempted him to too much, or gave him so extremely strong alcohol, or even drugged him…

           She wasn't sure what had happened to make him so drunk and delusional, but she was still wary of Katsura and his men. She eyed a scrunched up note in the trashcan, and unable to contain her curiosity, looked at it.

            As she unfolded the paper, she read the words, "Project Sheath" on the top, underlined. It continued to say,

            "Himura-

                        We are aware that you are housing the woman called 'Tomoe' in your house. She doesn't seem to be leaving, although we are not sure if she is staying of her own accord. You may or may not know by now, but Tomoe has ties with big politicians… especially Yukishiro Enishi. Be careful. Takasugi urges to you greatly to instigate Project Sheath… make her love you and-"

            Tomoe stopped reading. Her hands shaking, she ripped up the note into many different pieces, and angrily threw them in the trashcan. She stood up, a little wobbly after being on her knees for so long, but was enraged. How dare they?! They expect her to love the one who killed her fiancé?! It was so unlike her, but Tomoe felt a great urge to march up to them and scream bloody hell at that stupid Katsura and his little minions.

            Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself. A strange thought  popped into her head… Battousai hadn't done anything to try and draw her to him. Maybe he didn't like the plan…

            She eyed the room that he was still sleeping in, her thoughts racing.

            "Maybe I can find… an ally in him."

[a/n: Well, now you know what the note says. Part of it, at least. You don't need to know the rest, anyway. ;p It's called Project Sheath, because I don't have a better name for it. o__o Battousai's sanity is being put to the test with his occupation, but maybe a sheath can save him…

I know this story isn't very fast paced… except for the first chapter, things are moving so slowly. I know the chapters are pretty short, forgive me… ;__; School's started up again, and I didn't make it into Algebra II… *cries* I think the teacher hates me though, since I have the EXACT SAME SCORES as someone who did make it in without a problem. Grr… but anyway…

This story is really very mellow. It genre is "angst/romance", but I'm going to change it to general and romance. I had planned for this to be angsty, but I just can't stick to that for too long. It gets me depressed… *___* I'm so into writing angsty one-shots and own-creations, but my fics are really mellow sometimes. x__x Anyhoo… No more to say, so… ja ne? ~Midori]


	7. 04 Restless

___chapter four [[restless]]

[A/n: =] I've been bad. Never updated. O___O;; You don't have any idea how much homework they can put on an idiotic kid who is supposed to get all 95's and above. =___=" 

Anyway, I just realized, I didn't put any disclaimers. O___o;; But seriously, come on. Do you all –really- think I own RK? *falls out of chair laughing* this IS a disclaimer, by the way, and since I don't want to bother with disclaimers throughout the rest of the story, this applies throughout the whole story.]

**Lost Dreams**

(By Hitokiri Midori)

            Calm, peaceful serenity…

            A world where people can live in peace, where they can smile and laugh without a care…

            I'm fighting for that world.

            At least, I think I am.

            But it isn't fair…

            Why…

            Is my pain a sacrifice for this world?

            Why me?

            But no. You, your pain… you have pain too.

            Your eyes, empty…

            They're crying. Your soul is crying.

            Is it my fault?

            Yes… it is.

            You once knew love, and I destroyed it…

            It is fair.

            I hurt you; I took away your happiness.

            My pain is the heavens' revenge for destroying you're happiness.

            But that still doesn't stop my soul from crying…

            My soul cries while my hands are drenched with blood.

            "Are you alright?" She asks softly.

            _Well, now that you're here, I am. I think, but then mentally slap myself. I am glad that I didn't say it aloud._

            "They shouldn't have given you that much to drink."

            "I can handle it!" I can hear my voice rising.

            She looked my way. "You're a child. How old are you?" She demanded quietly.

            "Fifteen." I spat, annoyed. Me? A child? How dare she? Why, she should fear me, she should-

            She looked amused.

            "All this time I thought you had some sort of growth deficiency." Was it just my imagination, or was she about to laugh?

            "You're not that tall yourself, you know."

            "But I'm a woman, and I'm eighteen. I'm still taller than you." She retorted.

            I didn't say anything for a while, we just sat there, silent. But it was nice.

            It wasn't an awkward moment, which was rather odd, to say the least, considering our situation. Who would've thought we were enjoying each other's company?

            Wait. What am I saying?

            I killed her fiancé. The one she loved.

            She would hate me forever.

            The smile that threatened to rise to my face faded away quickly.

            "Yukishiro-san!" Tomoe whipped her head around quickly, looking to see who called out her name. Whoever called her out may also know about her connection with Enishi…

            The man who called out her name was tall, taller than she was, at least, with dark black hair pulled back in the traditional samurai ponytail. He had what looked like a little mustache growing, and covered his face in the shadow of his hat. [a/n: What do you call those things? Chichiri has one ^^]            

            "Y… yes?" Tomoe asked cautiously, gripping the handle of the broom tighter than she realized. She had been cleaning the yard since morning, but even as early as she rose, Kenshin was always gone. He returned home late at night, as if he did not want to see her face.

            But no. She didn't care… did she?

            "I'm Iizuka." The man bowed slightly, and she returned it. "Pleased to meet you. You must be Yukishiro Tomoe-san."

            Tomoe nodded slowly, still cautious.

            "I've heard a lot about you, especially from that lady who works at the restaurant." She slowly let out a drawn breath. This man was just someone who knew her boss.

            "She's been worried about you, Yukishiro-san. You haven't shown up at work for almost a week. She sent me to come fetch you, she wants to see for herself if you've been well or not."

            "Mm." Tomoe semi-replied, laying the broom down softly on the ground.

            "Will you come with me?" Iizuka lend out a hand, although Tomoe did not accept it. Looking back at the house, she started towards the restaurant, but staying two steps behind him.

            Staying silent the whole time, Tomoe walked with quiet steps, as if she were on a stealth mission.

            In front of her, Iizuka chuckled to himself. _No wonder they wanted her to be the spy._

            He stopped, standing with his feet planted firmly in the ground. Tomoe paused.

            "Why did you stop?" She asked quietly.

            "Don't play that game, Yukishiro." Iizuka whispered lethally.

            "Game…?"

            "You knew… You knew you were in the Battousai's home. And you never left it. You found that note; our spies saw you. You knew that we had every intention of using you. Why didn't you leave? We wouldn't have stopped you."

            "I… I…" Tomoe couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

            "Himura is our strongest assassin. Without him, we may loose this whole revolution. Everything we've been fighting for would be gone. That is what those fools in the Ishin believe. But I… I am different." Iizuka explained, a menacing glint in his eye. "They are fueled by useless desires for peace, social quality… those desires will never get you anywhere. A fool may spend his entire life yearning for those dreams to become accomplished, but it will never come true. Only money can bring you anywhere in this world…" His voice rasped.

            "Wh… What do you want?" Tomoe gasped, stepping backwards.

            "I will be paid handsomely if I bring the one object that Himura may react to if killed to them. Of course, he will go after you, and they will ambush him and kill him. It's a simple plan used so many times through history, only with you as the bait. Sayoonara, Yukishiro-san."

            The last thing Tomoe saw before everything went black was a fist coming at her face.

[a/n: *hides* Ahhhhh~ This fic is getting terrible. o____o I must instigate some sort of plot… stat! Well, a plot's coming. A deviously plotless plot, de gozaru. I'll try to update soon. So… much… homework… *sinks underneath homework sea*]


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